James Reyne

By far Reyne's least interesting album, but still good nonetheless. Further collaboration with Simon Hussey finds Reyne treading water to some degree, trying to replicate the success of his debut, while lacking the fury and energy that made that album so utterly compelling. "One More River" and "Wake Up Deadman" share a more traditionally bluesy feel, while "House Of Cards" tries to echo the intensity of earlier classics. A mellower, less surprising effort, Hard Reyne is not a bad album by any means. There is just nothing here to render it great. ~ Tomas Mureika, Rovi